Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Life of Light
by Dark Skitty Power
Summary: Riolu has been living in the orphanage with his friends and "family." But stuff in the Pokémon world will never be eternally peaceful... My first fanfiction! My summary sucks, I'm sorry... '
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. *Sniff…* If I did, the apocalypse would be a LOT sooner! Mwa ha ha! I mean… *cough cough…***

**Hello peeps! I'm new here, and this is my first FanFic. Its bad, I'm sorry… but anyway, I hope you like it! ~Dark Skitty Power**

**P.S. I don't like paragraphing, so it'll be sloppy. I'll try to do better!**

**

* * *

**

Prologue

_A long time ago, not so far from here, there was a Shinx. He was a young man, always longing to join Wigglytuff's Guild. Unfortunately, he was just a bit too timid. He would always run away in fright when he approached the Guild. _

_One day, he walked down to the beach in despair. He felt he would never fulfill his dream. He walked down farther, and then noticed an unconscious Pokémon lying in the sand. When it awoke, the land it found itself in frightened it. To her, this place was bizarre, unnatural. Shinx reassured her, an Eevee, that this was all normal to the land and that she would be okay. _

_They soon became friends. Refilled with courage, Shinx stood up to the challenge of entering the Guild once more. With his new friend, Spice the Eevee, by his side, they succeeded in joining, becoming Apprentices._

_They went on many adventures, saved many Pokémon, found many treasures. He, with Eevee, had faced all that was to face, succeeded all that was to be succeeded. They grew from Normal Rank, to Bronze Rank, to Silver Rank, then to Gold Rank._

_Everything was peaceful, until time began to flow abnormally…_

_Time Gears were being stolen, freezing Pokémon in time. Spice and Shinx discovered a secret that would help save their world from paralysis, but it had a fatal cost. Only Spice had known it at the time, keeping Shinx from the heavy weight._

_The secret has faded over time… all we know now is that it led them to Primal Dialga, whom they defeated in order to restore time._

_Dialga returned to normal, creating an alternate dimension. In this realm, the future was different. As Spice had earlier learned, she was from the future. Since the future had been changed, she could no longer exist. She disappeared, leaving her trusted partner. Shinx's heart burned in agony for his lost friend. _

_He returned home to the guild, slowly being consumed by sorrow. He barely ate, barely slept. He felt more pain than he thought possible._

_One day, he went to the beach, only to remember where he had met his teammate. He realized that his Exploration Team was no more without Spice. He wept, wept with a sorrow so deep, so painful, Dialga noticed and took pity on the poor Pokémon. _

It is my fault that Spice is gone and Shinx is in so much pain, _the deity thought. Dialga then decided to give a gift to Shinx, the one that had helped save the world. The deity then brought forth from the past… none other than the Eevee. _

_Shinx was elated, overjoyed, too happy for words to describe. He now wept with the happiness that filled his heart._

_Why had Dialga done this? Some say just as a reward, others imagine for the sight of happiness. But some believe a darker story…_

_Some believe that Dialga had seen a terrible sight in the future if he had not brought the Electric Pokémon's heart back together. _

_This story has also been lost in time… possibly by Dialga, protecting the future of the Pokémon world… but protection can't last forever. But neither does evil or darkness. Nothing lasts forever._


	2. The Orphanage

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon! Not even the song in this chapter… If I did own Pokémon, Ash would probably be eaten by an Aerodactyl or something. **

**Also! I'm sorry for the slow intro… I tried to make it as clear as possible. It's hard! Oh well, enjoy! ~Dark Skitty Power**

**

* * *

**

The Orphanage

"Please, Grandfather," I pleaded, "Please tell another!" "Oho! Now, my little child, is the time for you and your friends to go to sleep," Grandfather Torterra chuckled. "For tomorrow is another day, and all of you need rest!" I moaned. "But you tell such great stories!" I argued.

Me, Roil, wasn't blood related to Grandfather. Neither were any of the other Pokémon. Except for Little Grotle, Grandfather's daughter. Except she was actually older than most of the children, so she wasn't very little.

I live in an orphanage with many other Pokémon. Everybody calls Torterra the caretaker Grandfather, because of him being in his Final Evolution Stage.

"Grandpa," Buneary chided in, "Can Grandmum Meganium sing us a song?" I was a good friend with Buneary, and I knew she loved kings, queens, and royalty. She had taught herself to speak in an English accent, and she was very good at it.

"Absolutely!" Grandfather answered. "Hon! They'd like a song!"

Grandfather and Grandmother weren't that old, but we always insisted on calling them that. Since we called Grandfather Grandfather, Grandmother had to be Grandmother since they were married.

"Hello, my sweets!" Grandmother called as she trotted in, "Would you all like a bedtime song?" "Please, please," we all crooned.

Grandmother's songs were like candy for the ears. Being sung to sleep sounds awkward, but to us it was normal. Everybody loved them, even Nidorino, the oldest boy in the orphanage.

"Grandmum? May we please listen to a different one than Milotic Lake or Starly Sleep Song?" Buneary asked.

Grandmother's eyes got a faraway look for a moment. "Grandma? Are you okay?" Dratini asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes. A different song?"

"Yes, please," Buneary whispered.

"Alright, dearies, I may have just the song…"

Half of the Pokémon raised their paws to prayer position. "Here we go," Grandmother began.

_Just one more time,_

_Please look_

_At the place you wish_

_To return to_

_And allow the quiet, small ripples of time_

_To heal your tired heart_

_Just one more time,_

_Please dream_

_And remember the dream _

_Called courage_

_The passion you have forgotten _

_Will melt the ice in your heart._

_Memories of you riding_

_The Lapras_

_Fill my mind, even now_

_Memories of those times, shining_

_Like a new star_

_Memories of those times,_

_Smiling…_

_I wish to see you smile again_

_Like a new moon_

_I wish to see you smile…_

_Again _

"Good night, my sweets," Grandmother crooned. She trotted off, turning the light off on her way out. Half of the Pokémon were asleep, some praying before unconsciousness overtook them.

But I was thinking. Sometimes I thought about stuff I couldn't talk about, like his parents. Sometimes I just thought about the day. Sometimes I just thought about… anything. Tonight I thought about the story and song all of us had heard. I hadn't heard either of them before, so I was curious. I wanted to learn more about them.

Eventually I felt tiredness begin to creep its way in, so I prayed. As I fell asleep, I remembered what I had prayed for: Discovery.

The next day was Friday. Adoption Day. Everybody hated Adoption Day. They always worried that their friends would be taken away, or worse, themselves.

Me and my friends Buneary, Sneasal, Natu, and Cyndaquil always hid away from the adoption area. Our plans always worked, so we never worried about Adoption Day.

But this Friday was different.

Today, all of the grown-ups were muttering, surprised looks occasionally crossing their faces. I was hiding in the bushes, staying out of sight. I could tell someone important was here because of the crowd's murmurs.

I was wondering what was going on when I noticed a flash. A golden light was surrounding a Pokémon, with a silver one trailing behind. As the crowd parted, I noticed the light was illuminating from an Eevee and a Shinx.

_What's going on?_ I wondered. Suddenly, a massive flash of millions of colors and hues enveloped my vision. My head throbbed. I blinked, and the colors were gone.

My head was still pounding, just not as violently as before. I realized I was curled up on the floor, so I quickly sat up. I peeked through the bushes when I noticed a nearby Pachirisu was glowing a bright electric blue. And a young Furret was gleaming a pastel orange.

I stared out, looking at the Pokémon. Each of them was glowing a different color. Some were radiating brightly, while others were very soft. I searched around for another golden or silver one. There weren't any.

I saw lots of blues and yellows on the younger Pokémon. A lot of the adults were lavender or orange. I counted two gray. They seemed a bit sullen. I also found green and cream on older people.

There were a few other colors speckling the crowd, such as pink, purple, and red. Not an evil red, but more of like a sweet, candy-red. Like peppermint. I also noticed two aquamarines, belonging to very musical Poliwag twins. They were young, but not orphans. Maybe they were someone's daughters.

I glanced back at the gold and silver glows. There was still none other than those two. I felt a more powerful wave of pain from my headache crash. I then noticed a black one.

Glimmering like the shadows at night, the dark radiating from the Pokémon was almost tangible. It was definitely not helping my headache, as the waves were pounding me more furiously and ferociously.

I forced myself to tear my eyes away, and I curled up on the floor again. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the new world of colors. My headache was bashing my brain into a pulp. I heard a rustle in the bushes and quickly sat back up.

A soft pastel light was emanating from the bushes, and I soon noticed another Riolu scurrying in.

"Eek!" She hiccupped. "Sorry, I didn't know someone was in here. What are you doing?" She inquired. " I have a headache," I said, fatigued.

She gasped, "Did you start seeing Auras recently?"

"Wha-?" I stuttered.

"Sorry… I was just curious…" She bushed.

"No, no! I was wondering, what's an Aura?"

"Y'know, Auras. The glowy lights around living things?"

_Hey, hey! Whadda'ya know,_ I thought.

She looked at me a bit harder, then gasped again. "Are you one of the orphans? Hey! Maybe you could be my adopted brother! Then I'll finally be older!" She exclaimed.

My mind was still reeling about the Auras. I registered what she had said and I feverishly replied, "No! No! I can't be adopted! I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because this is my home!"

"Oh," She looked a bit deflated.

"Tell me more about Auras," I suggested.

"Well, you can't always see them. Think of it as going on and off. It kind of explains personalities. You can't see your own Aura, but you can see others' and vice versa. And… That's about it," She finished.

"Have you ever seen a gold or silver Aura?" I asked.

"No, those Auras are just legends. Nobody has them, and if they do, they either hide them or we can't see them," she explained.

None of this added up in my brain. I mean, I was seeing nonstop Auras including the golden and silver ones. Maybe this would make more sense if I didn't have a headache.

"What color is my Aura?" I asked.

"I don't know, my senses aren't-" She cut off, her eyes glazing over for a moment. When she came to, she gasped.

"Your Aura is… Silver."

That's when all heck broke loose.

* * *

**Chapter 1 is up! I'm also sorry for the past/present/future grammar errors. I suck with that. And my parents get angry when I swear… So the end kind of loses its luster. Oh well! **

**Mwa ha ha! Cliffhanger! Chapter 2 will take awhile because my mom gets angry when I'm on the computer for too long. *****Sighs***** A hour and a half each day makes it hard… I will go as fast as I can! ~Dark Skitty Power**


	3. On the Run

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. None of them. Even the 5****th**** generation ones. And you DO NOT want me to somehow get that job. It'll mean the apocalypse!**

** Here is my best story gaining a new chapter! Yay! That's pretty much all I have to say. Um, ta-da…! ~ Dark Skitty Power

* * *

**

On The Run

My headache began to pound again, and I looked out of the corner of my eye. The mysterious black Aura was coming closer. "We have to get out of here," I breathed. "But…! But…! How is this possible? How does it work?" She exclaimed in panic.

The Dark Aura Pokémon wasn't receding, as was my headache and the Auras themselves. "Hurry!" I shouted, and heaved myself up, my head spinning from the rush of movement. I pulled the girl along with me, heads turning at the sight of… The girl and I.

"What's your name?" I asked her. "Malli! Why ask now?" She panicked, "And where are we going?" "Away from here!" I replied.

The Dark Aura was still chasing us. I could now tell it was an Ariados, and it was gaining fast. It also had a headset, so it must be in contact with someone else. My head started throbbing again.

Malli drove my attention away, asking, "What's your name?" "Usually just Riolu, Ry to my friends. Speaking of friends," I trailed off.

I pulled my hand up to my mouth and used it as a whistle. _Tweet-tweet-tweet_, as we had taught ourselves as an emergency code. Slash the Sneasal, Trish the Buneary, Psyche the Natu, and Cinder the Cyndaquil all crashed out of their hiding places to run by my side.

Now the crowd was really buzzing. A Smeargle accidentally stepped in the Ariados's path, and Smeargle was blasted with String Shot. Ariados soon began shooting sticky string at us.

"Evasive action!" Slash, our elected leader, shouted to us. We all began dashing in random paths, while I darted into the row of bushes again. Ariados followed suit, crashing into the hedge after me. I could tell it was after me, because it would have gone after an easier target thanks to the smallness of the bush tunnels.

The Ariados used Night Shade, purposely missing to plunge the tunnels into darkness. "I can't—" "Shh," I silenced Malli. I closed my eyes and was surprised to be able to tell where to go.

Once we escaped the bushes, I opened my eyes to see where we were. The soft, wet waves splashed the shore of the beach. I noticed the trees that were lined behind the sand. I hopped into one, climbing all the way to the top, then whistle-called to my friends.

I saw Slash and Trish drop out of trees near mine, and Psyche Teleport from who knows where. Cinder dashed from around a rock. "We need to keep moving," Slash said as I climbed down from my tree. Everybody silently agreed, then we dashed away on the trail to Treasure Town.

After a while of running and doubling back, we decided to take a break. My Aura-sense wasn't going away as Malli had predicted. Slash's Aura was a deep, navy blue, Trish's was bright orange, Psyche had a woody amber, and Cinder's was lime green.

I enjoyed looking around with my newfound sense, both with eyes open and closed, as I had soon discovered that I could 'see' both ways. With my eyes open I could see a bright outline of everything, but no shadows or color.

With them open I would look at plants. Most of them had green-and-brown Auras, but I also spotted cream, purple and blue on some.

Psyche broke into my trance when she asked, "Ry, why did we leave?" "A bad Pokémon tried to hurt me," I tried to explain, "And we had to leave before anybody else was attacked."

"Why did it attack you?" She inquired. I shuddered. Why did it attack me? What did I have that the Ariados needed? "I… I'm not sure why," I replied.

"But—" She tried to continue, but Cinder stopped her. She tweeted in protest, but didn't ask anymore.

I couldn't blame her for her questions and curiosity, since she was 'youngest.' We determined our age by level, since none of us orphans knew our true birthdays. Psyche was level 9, Cinder was 10, I was 12, Trish was 13 and Slash 14. I think Malli was older in age, but younger in level.

"We better get moving," Trish said. As she stood up, I noticed the rock she had been toying with now glowed orange. It slowly faded, but didn't disappear completely. Interesting.

We continued onward, and I practiced keeping-my-eyes-closed-navigation. It was hard, because my mind kept straying, making my vision fuzzy. I eventually decided to keep my eyes open.

I kept thinking about the gold and silver Auras of the two Pokémon. There was something recognizable about them, but I had never met a Shinx or Eevee before. I had heard about them in a story before…

An idea struck me. Could those two be the ones in the story Grandfather Torterra told us about? And I had a silver Aura, too. Did that mean I was legendary? Would I do something to save the world someday?

I then shuddered as another thought formed in my mind. The Shinx in the legend had lost his friend, but… Dialga?... Had given the Eevee back. But what would have happened if Dialga didn't grant the Shinx's wish? Dialga had seen something dark in the future… Will that happen to me? Will I hurt someone?

I was an orphan, and usually I thought that my parents had… Died. But… Did they abandon me because they knew what I was? Should I not exist? Is that why I was left on the doorstep of the orphanage? _Am I evil?

* * *

_

**Oooh! I'm excited for the future! What next? Sorry I take so long. I was on vacation for a million years, so I couldn't type much. BUT I AM BACK NOW! YAAAAAAAY! Cheese. :D ~Dark Skitty Power**


	4. Attack

**I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Ash would get older. I mean, he's still 10! How does that even work?**

** Chapter 3… Ta-da! I don't have much to say, so… I SAW JONNY DEPP! It's true! Haha. ~Dark Skitty Power**

Attack

After an hour or so, we believed we were nearing Treasure Town. We had never been this far from the orphanage by ourselves. The orphanage was out in the middle of nowhere, so it took awhile to walk all the way here with all the doubling back and resting.

After another 5 minutes, we reached the Town Square. It was bustling with Pokémon, and when I looked at where the group was forming, I saw a Chatot.

"A-hem," She cleared her throat, "As many of you here know, we have a very special occasion to celebrate. Many years ago, Wigglytuff's Guild closed down from Guildmaster Wigglytuff's retirement. My father had worked there, and when the Guild closed he had nowhere to go, nobody to turn to."

She blushed a little before continuing. "Then I came. I left for school at a late start of 3rd grade. Another student had also come in at the same time. His name was Jigglypuff. Since we were new, and a little excluded, it was reasonable to band together.

"Jigglypuff was a kind, strong, and very smart student. He excelled at all the classes and by the 6th grade was moved up into high school. The next year, 7th for me and 10th for Jigglypuff, was hard on us both.

"I had very few friends besides Jigglypuff, and I wasn't the social type. Jigglypuff was very young to be in 10th grade, where all the students were at least three years older than him. He was finding it hard to focus without friends or support. His stepfather forced him to stay in 10th, and he eventually became fed up and ran away.

"One night, I had snuck out to fly around when I spotted Jigglypuff sleeping in a pine tree. I brought him back to my house and he told me his story. He wanted to rebuild Wigglytuff's Guild ever since he was an Igglybuff. It had been his lifelong dream, and he thought that what he had then was a golden opportunity.

"He believed that if he was to rebuild the Guild, he would need to evolve and become a Wigglytuff. We went to find the mysterious Luminous Spring so that he could evolve. We eventually found it without trouble. As he entered the spring, a pack of wild Skorupi attacked. I had the upper hand in Type, but I was greatly outnumbered.

"I pecked and slashed, but I couldn't hold them off for very long. One broke through the defenses and lunged for Jigglypuff. I flapped after it, but the others grabbed my attention. I continued to fight, worried about Jigglypuff. Was he defenseless while evolving? I noticed a Skorupi fly through the air, then Jigglypuff came through, fully evolved as a Wigglytuff.

"We defeated the horde, recruiting one of them. Once he heard about our plans, he helped with construction and now runs Skorupi Swap Shop. As all of you know the rest of the- mostly construction filled-story, we hereby reopen our noble guild!" The Chatot cawed. The crowed cheered, throwing scarves and bows into the air.

"Thunder!" Wigglytuff giggled. "Yes, the cheers do sound a bit like thunder," Chatot noted. He giggled again. "No, silly, I mean REAL thunder!" The Chatot jumped. "Ah! Thunderstorm!" She cawed, flapping her wings.

"Yeppers!" He said, looking to the sky. Sure enough, gray clouds began swirling up. Wigglytuff looked to the horizon, and his bubbly pink Aura darkened slightly as worry crept onto his face.

"Get the children inside," He commanded. He wasn't joking, for he had dropped his playful and bubbly tone. Chatot noticed that too, and looked very frightened. "How do I quiet them?" She fretted. "Plug your ears," He said briskly.

"ATTENTION!" The Wigglytuff's Hyper Voice silenced the cheering crowd. They now looked afraid. "Quickly, who can fight? Step forward." He said. His voice was urgent, seemingly racing the oncoming stormfront. Maybe it was.

"All children under three weeks and/or level ten, follow Chatot into the Guild. Rulebreakers will be dealt with properly." I knew to keep my young friends out of sight and confinement so I ushered them into the trees. "You stay hidden with them, Malli, unless you're a good fighter," Slash said. She nodded and climbed into the trees with Psyche and Cinder.

"Whatever's coming is dangerous, or else Wigglytuff wouldn't be afraid with this many powerful Pokémon in town," Trish said. I noticed that she wasn't speaking in an English accent much anymore. I wanted to ask why, but now wasn't the time. We ran over to the group of fighters and aligned ourselves in the formation.

That's when the storm broke. Lightning flashed, illuminating the silhouettes of a massive group of Pokémon. We outnumbered them, but their posture was similar to an assassin's, going for the kill. There would be no negotiating, just fighting.

I was amazed, but afraid. I saw their Auras. The headache I had looking at the Ariados' Aura was like a poke on the shoulder compared to what I was feeling now. Sledgehammers were threatening to crack my skull in half.

Their Auras were poisoned, midnight black and hate-filled red mixed with the unfeeling flatness of gray. Some had dark, unsettling, sorrowful purples casting a shadow of their former self. Sometimes a shimmer of natural Aura would crash against the outer layer, only to dissolve into more particles of darkness.

This wasn't natural. The Ariados had hate in it, damaging the soul and dying its Aura black. The dark Pokémon here were suffering, being poisoned by a dark force other that their own mind. They weren't themselves. They were puppets, shadows, illusions.

I writhed on the ground, my skull crashing and crunching. Unconsciousness was blasting my brain to smithereens, while at the same time letting it rest. The last thing I saw was Slash and Trish shouting, the evil Pokémon charging, and lots of running. Then all was black. With a flash of gold.

I awoke with a start, but I couldn't feel a thing. I realized I was fighting a Luxray. The Auras were gone, but I knew these were the evil Pokémon. I heard myself shout in surprise, then I tried to speak. I heard myself again, but not through my ears. Then I realized I wasn't ME, I was Slash.

When I tried to speak, it echoed. I called Slash's name. _Slash! It's Ry!_ I called. "Ry!" He sopped in surprise, then continued swiping at the Luxray. _Yes! It's me!_ I called into his mind. "Ry! What! How is this possible? What's going on?" He said aloud. _I don't know, _I replied._ I think I can enter others' minds when I'm unconscious._

"Strange!" Slash said above the noise. Something suddenly pinged in me, and I warned_ Slash! Your left!_ I saw him knock a Luxray off its feet before it had pinned him down. "Thanks!" He said.

After watching Slash battle for a while and giving warnings when my instincts told me to, I got bored. I focused hard on Slash, not physically, but mentally. I began seeing bits of Slash's life through his eyes.

I saw Slash getting tucked in by Grandmother. I saw him training with friends. I saw him get in a fight with another Pokémon from the Orphanage. I saw him comforting Trish from a nightmare. She was shivering. I focused on this one thought.

"Trish, what's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare. It was about my parents."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Trish sniffed. "Well, I was traveling along a path, and I saw two Pokémon. When they saw me, they ran up, crooning and hugging me. 'It's us,' They said. I knew they were Mum and Dad. I was so happy, hugging them, no longer an orphan."

She suddenly dropped her accent. "Then the ground opened up and sucked them in. I watched in horror as they shouted, 'No! Trish! We can't leave! We love you to much to go!' And I tried to grab them, but they were absorbed by the blackness. Then the ground closed up again. I fell to my knees and cried.

"When I woke up, I realized I was really crying, the tears matting up my fur. I was so sad! What if something happens to my parents? What if something HAS happened to my parents? I don't want to lose anybody! I want everyone to stay here, and not go anywhere else. I don't like death!" She whispered hoarsely.

She then launched herself at Slash and hugged him. I felt her warm fur, her light touch, her shivering body. "It's okay," I—Slash crooned. "I won't let that happen." I saw Slash lean over and kiss the top of her head.

I felt a snap in my own brain and I called out, _Behind you!_ Slash twirled and raked a claw across another Luxray's snout.

I knew I shouldn't have seen that memory, and I was ashamed. I hoped Slash didn't know that I saw it. I felt a sudden slip, and black encased me once again.

**Ooh, yay! SneasalXBuneary~~~~ How fantasmalorific! Chapter 4 may take a bit bcus I'm gonna write INVADER ZIM stuff now! YEAH WOOOT! Invader Zim pwnes. GO GIR! ~**


	5. Opposites

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I WISH I DID! **

** Here's chapter 4, sorry it took awhile. I'm also working on My Invader Zim fic and my Maximum Ride fic. (Read them! Please!) Also, I'll be starting some poetry and oneshots soon, so if you like those, stay tuned! On with the story! ~Dark Skitty Power

* * *

**

Opposites

_…When time and space collide for first_

_Darkness will begin to thirst_

_But before he is rid of life_

_Light will begin to stab and strike._

_ But once Dark feels a second time_

_Light's life will begin to climb_

_To destroy the coming grim_

_But finally all good will dim._

_ The lord of evil will vanquish all_

_Leaving the empire of good to fall_

_ Dark and cold will consume the realm_

_That the lord of evil had overwhelmed._

She tapped the parchment in the corner, causing a small blotch of red ink to form. "What are you doing, Lady of Darkness?"A cold hiss resounded. The Lady of Darkness growled in return. "I'm writing. Will you leave me be, Mourez?" The one known as Mourez slithered away, whispering silently to himself.

The Lady of Darkness frowned. "Oscuridad!" She called violently. A dark creature flapped into the room. "Bring me more ink," She demanded. "Yes, M'Lady," Oscuridad replied soberly, taking a small pouch. Instead of leather, there was a row of glass bottles. "You may feed, if you must," The darkest one added. Oscuridad perked up slightly. "Thank you, M'Lady," He bowed, then flew off into the night sky.

The darkest one frowned again. "σκοτάδι! Bring this to the master!" She commanded. She pronounced the name 'skotadi.' A quiet tapping of feet resounded, as a large spider-monster emerged from the shadows. The darkest handed the monster her parchment, and the spider skittered off.

_And so the game begins, _The Lady of Darkness thought, grinning maliciously.

Or, shall we say, Maliziously.

-P-M-D-

When I awoke, I was in my own body again. I sprang up, only to fall down, skull imploding from the dark Auras. I painfully opened my eyes to see a bubble-pink Aura envelop me, blocking out the evil ones. A voice spoke in my head, and I imagined that that's what I was like to Slash.

The voice that spoke was Wigglytuff's. _You're the silver-Aura Pokémon, _He said, almost to himself. I nodded. _And you constantly see Auras?_ He asked. I nodded again. _I need to teach you how to keep the pain from dark Auras at bay, _He explained, _Follow me. _Part of the pink melted off of me and floated into the trees, but some of it stayed behind, protecting me. The Aura shaped itself into an Aura-Wigglytuff.

_Look at me, _He instructed. I obeyed. _Good. Now find my center of pain, _He instructed. I looked at the whole of him, and saw a dark purple fleck. "There," I pointed, "On your forehead." _Good job, _He praised. _Now find my center of hope. _I looked at all of him again, and saw another fleck of brilliant white. "There," I repeated, "Over by your heart." He nodded. _Great, _He said. _Now find my center of life._

I looked all over, but I found nothing. I checked his back, and still no flecks. Then I realized. "Your Aura is the representation of your life force, so…" I drew a circle around him with my finger. "There's the center of your life."

_You did well, _He told me. _Not many get that on their first try. Now, in order to protect yourself from dark powers, you must find your center of hope, pain, and life, then balance them together to create the center of understanding. To understand the enemy with heart, mind, and soul will grant you the power to withstand darkness._

"How do I do that?" I asked. _Close your eyes and focus. _I obeyed. Suddenly, I felt a flicker of warmth by my heart, a flicker of cold douse my mind, and a surge of… Something… Course through my body. _You felt that, yes? _Wigglytuff said. "Uh-huh," I replied. _Once you focus, the heart and mind will form a bridge, strengthening the soul. Once the soul is at its fullest, it can protect you from anything._

_What we'll practice is Sight Protection. Focus on your heart. Feel it beat, feel its emotion. _I focused on what Wigglytuff said. The warmth I felt earlier was now very defined. I felt happiness and security. I focused on good. Something calm and serene washed over me, and I felt peace. _Well done,_ Wigglytuff said.

_Now, harder. Focus on your mind. Feel its pain, read your thoughts. _I thought hard. It's hard to think about thinking. I tied to define sorrow and pain. Once I felt the cold, I recoiled back to the heart. The pain stabbed like a frozen knife.

_It's much trickier, _Wigglytuff sighed. _Think about what the variables were, what you could have done to make good changes. _I felt pain, but I tried to think about how I could fix it. But a thought popped up in my mind. It had appeared stealthily, and I would have never been able to prepare for it. My parents. The force was a blast of frozen electricity. I tried to breathe, but the cold was constricting. My heart was freezing up.

I heard a urgent voice chime in to my thoughts. _Control, control! _Wigglytuff instructed, _Feel dark and light balance! _I shivered. Balance. Warm. Cold. Good. Evil. Difference. I focused the opposites to two points, then secured them to mind and heart. I felt my whole body tingle. _And what is the answer to this unknown question? _Wigglytuff asked. "Everything," I whispered, then closed my eyes. My Aura enveloped me like a cloud, invisible but comforting. _Well done, my apprentice. May we meet again soon… _

Whispers. Warm. Cold. Noise. Dark.

When I came to, I (Finally) didn't have a headache. The battle was raging on, and the evil Aura Pokémon were still there. Fortunately, they didn't hurt my head any longer. I jumped into battle alongside a Wartortle. The only evil Pokémon were still only Luxrays, but they were formidable opponents. One tried to pounce on the Wartortle, but I kicked it out of the air. It scrabbled against the ground, and the Wartortle took the opportunity to ram it with Skull Bash. "Nice work," He praised me. I nodded back.

I fought, ducked, twirled, and weaved through the many Pokémon. I slipped and fell in a puddle of golden liquid. I noticed a bit of a ways off a Togetic was lying down. I rushed over. Her wing was coated with the gold liquid. I noticed a long gash on it and realized that was blood coating the wing. "Are you okay?" I gasped. "I'm fine…" She whispered hoarsely. Her purple Aura was fading fast. "You aren't okay, we need to get help," I panicked.

I noticed that when I sat next to her, silver flecks sprinkled her Aura, making it stronger. I realized I could possibly save her. I focused my mind, heart, and soul. _I sure hope this works,_ I thought to myself. "What… What are you doing…?" She whispered hoarsely. I then rubbed her broken wing. It stopped the bleeding a bit, but it was still badly damaged. I grew worried until I noticed her Aura was a lot stronger. I had just saved someone's life.

"Get somewhere safe," I said. "Thank you, stranger," She murmured, "I promise to somehow repay you, someday…" She clumsily scurried into the forest. I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A bubble-pink Aura stood above the others. Wigglytuff smiled, before returning to the fray.

More Luxrays ran to attack me. I defeated a few, then a rough-looking Pikachu joined me in battle. I kicked one in the snout when one pounced on my neck. Before it could sink its teeth into my flesh, the Pikachu Tackled it and then Iron Tailed its chest. It coughed, the wind knocked out of it. "Thanks!" I shouted. The Pikachu nodded.

Another of the electric cats darted up and scratched the Pikachu's face. The electric mouse spat in the Luxray's eyes, causing the cat to be momentarily blinded by the electrically charged saliva. "Jerks, all of 'em," The mouse growled. "They're under evil influence," I said, punching one on its knee. It stumbled, then the Pikachu used another Iron Tail on its exposed stomach. "Evil, my foot," He replied gruffly. He then shocked another Luxray's back, frying some of its fur. "Name's Brick," He said. "Ry," I replied, biting a Luxray's tail. It roared and Tackled me back into the crowd.

I watched Pokémon after Pokémon battle Luxrays. I passed a Combee and a Bronzong fighting a Luxray. I noticed a trio of Aipom ganging up on a Luxray. Luxray, Luxray, Luxray. No variety. I punched a Luxray, kicked a Luxray, tackled a Luxray, etc. I noticed (You guessed it) a Luxray chase a scrawny Bellsprout away from the battlefield. I had to make sure the grass Pokémon was safe, so I ran after them.

When I caught up with the two Pokémon, the small one was cornered into a wall on the beach. The Luxray sneered. "Pest," He cackled, "Once Master is done with the world, there will be no more foolish scum like you." I darted in on the side and slammed into the beast. He stumbled, crashing into the waves. The Bellsprout whipped the Luxray with its roots, the electric Pokémon growling in pain.

I noticed the enemy charging up for an electric attack. "Watch out!" I called to the Bellsprout. It darted to the side, right before the Luxray's Thunderbolt struck. I felt a slight tingling in my feet. Looking down, I saw the sand I was on was slightly damp from the sea. I looked back at the Bellsprout. Its spindly roots were smoldering, and I saw it was standing on very wet sand. The electricity had traveled through the water, electrocuting the grass Pokémon. I tried to move, but the slight tingle in my feet had now completely paralyzed my legs.

I crashed to the sand, quickly pulling myself up on my arms. I army-crawled as fast as I could to the Bellsprout, but it was already too late. The Luxray faced me, grinning maliciously. I watched helplessly as he snapped the poor Pokémon's neck. The autumn orange Aura surrounding him instantly dissipated. "You're next," He hissed. A sudden blast of fear dispelled the paralysis from my legs, and I jumped up. Kicking the Luxray's jaw, I clambered up the cliff face behind me. Reaching the top, I looked down to see the electric cat pacing, occasionally hissing up at me.

I suddenly noticed a light blue creature on the edge of the beach. "That wasn't there before," I whispered to myself. The Luxray below me noticed my change in view. He saw the blue creature, and raced off to see what it was. I panicked again, unsure if another life was in danger. I bounded down the cliff, sending rocks scattering. The Luxray was much faster than me, and he had already reached the creature by the time I landed on the sand.

To my own dismay, he grabbed the creature by the neck. I waited a second, but then realized he hadn't taken another life, but instead was racing back to me. I began my ascent of the cliff face again, my sudden use of adrenaline depleting my energy. The Luxray was upon me in seconds, his speed increased by a strategic use of Quick Attack.

He pulled me down, and I could barely struggle. All of my limbs burned, and my palms and heels were bleeding from the sharp rocks. The Luxray growled victoriously. He poised his claws to slit open my throat. My short and fairly normal life was flashing before my eyes. Playing with my friends, listening to Grandfather Torterra's stories, singing along with Grandmother Meganium's songs. I suddenly whispered a line from the song Grandmother Meganium had sung last night, which felt like an eternity ago.

"Just one more time… Please look…" I murmured. "Say goodbye," The Luxray hissed. "At the place you wish… To return to…" I continued, slightly louder. The Luxray frowned. "Shut up!" He said, shivering. "And allow the quiet, small ripples of time, to heal your tired heart." I sang. The Luxray stepped away, shivering. "Just one more time, please dream," I went on, "And remember the dream called courage." A wonderful sensation covered me like a blanket woven from silver stars. "The passion you have forgotten will melt the ice in your heart."

I finally got a good look at the blue creature. A Shinx. To my surprise, she continued the next verse with me. "Memories of you, riding the Lapras, fill my mind, even now," Our two voices reverberated through the air. "Memories of those times, smiling…" We decrescendo together, and the blanket of stars is suddenly stronger, warmer, gold and silver. "I wish to see you smile again," We begin to end, the Luxray hissing, scratching his own ears to the point of them bleeding. His Aura was being stained both gold and silver. "Like a new moon, I wish to see you smile…" We whispered. The Luxray fell to the ground. "…Again." We finished.

I collapsed, as did the Shinx. After a moment of silence and rest, I hefted myself up again, and stumbled over to the Luxray. The last traces of his dark Aura faded away, leaving a dim, magnificent blue behind. It was marbled with gold and silver, but soon all the color faded away. The electric Pokémon's breathing slowed to a stop. I shuddered. All I had done was sing a simple nursery rhyme… I stared at the Shinx. She stirred, making a small humming noise in her throat. She opened her eyes, and suddenly her Aura became distinct.

Her eyes matched her Aura, both a brilliant gold.

* * *

**I'm sorry this took a long time. Please forgive me. I hope to get a few chapters up on my other stories, but I've been having a major brainblock… For art AND writing. It's torture… *****Sadsad***** At least I have my music… *Goes off to play bass guitar or tuba or something***


End file.
